ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most oft-diagnosed conditions in children nowadays.

What's your guy's take on the condition? Do you think it's a legitimate, unique condition undeserving of scorn, or do you think that it's BS meant to cover up bad parenting and give drug companies more money?

It is largely used as a catchall. Teachers love to have kids evaluated, and there is an incentive for the schools to paste your kid with that label, so they can get extra funding. I HATE that a lot of kids are walking around, believing they are ADHD because a teacher was too tired/burned out/shitty to admit that she/he was boring as hell.

However, I have met kids that ABSOLUTELY have that condition. One trains with me. Great kid, but you have to be careful with him, and he's got the attention span of a flea. He's going on 16, been diagnosed since 8, and his parents are very active and involved.

Ritalin is a drug they are just starting to realize has a nasty long term impact, as well. Not good.

I go to an "alternative" high school where a large portion of the student body is said to have some form of ADD or ADHD (myself not included). Within said student body there are many people who very clearly need some sort of medication and/or treatment to help them concentrate. The days that they do not have their medication can be pure chaos. On the other hand there are some who really don't need the medication, but seem to function as a more productive student while they are on it. There is probably some merit in this thought, but there is also a good chance of a placebo effect.

I think that medications that adjust the chemical balancing in your brain are overperscribed. I have a lot of experience with more therapists than I care to remember and a boatload of different anti-depressents/anti-anxiety medications. Many of these mental analysts of sorts were very hasty to attempt perscriptions to solve the problem.

Having a lot of bad experience with those miracle pills I am very resentful of the whole idea of a mindaltering medicine. But I am not so blind to see how much it has helped some people, and I think that if it works for you then it's great, but your problems shouldn't be solved by way of pill. If a pill helps you along your journey to finding a solution, go for it.

summary: yes, ADHD is real. Medication for it is HIGHLY overperscribed. More people need to cut the crap and stop pussyfooting around with super caring parenting and lay down some rules.

I have it. Had it since I was a child. Wasn't diagnosed until I lost of job because of it last year. Basically I was bored shitless at work, didn't know how to deal with it, and resulted in negative behaviors like surfing this website on company time.

Went to a place called the Amen Clinic. It's supposed to be the best. Dr. Amen says ADHD and other conditions show up on a brain scan called a SPEC. I took one and my pattern was right out of the book. I was dianosed with Limbic ADD. Basically ADD mixed with clinical depression. They put me on Welbutrin XL. It's an antidepressent, but also helps some forms of ADD. I got better. Wasn't depressed anymore, focused better too. Problem was everything was out of pocket. My medical insurcance didn't cover mental health care, especially from an outside provider. I transfered to my HMO's ADD program and they wouldn't touch me because of the depression. I started seeing someone for depression and convinced them to continue to prescribe me Welbutrin.

Things are better now, but they aren't perfect. I have a new job, and I do ok. I catch myself sometimes regressing into old behaviors and can do something about it. It's still tough.

I have come into contact with a girl who had such bad ADHD it bordered on dementia. Actually, maybe she was demented. She got pulled out of the school when she locked herself in her dorm room and didn't sleep for five days because she was a "dragon" defending her "lair." But I digress. I'm pretty sure it exists, but I know many people whose parents tried to get them diagnosed incorrectly. A lot of really smart kids end up on Ritalin because they get bored at the torpid learning pace in school, and they act up as a result.